Creating a New Naturist Normal in a Pandemic

It’s not that there is no sunshine, it’s just that it is so fickle about staying out long enough to make a difference. There has been enough sunshine to allow me to keep my tan which I acquired in Ecuador during the winter. It’s the prairie spring winds which really get to me. But enough about weather.

Work on the back deck is slowly coming to an end. All that remains is a bit of trim of Duradek tiles and then building a new railing. My neighbour who is a carpenter and works at the lumber yard tells me that I had built it so strong that the house will fall down first. Where most people would use three support pillars and one beam, I have used eleven pillars and three beams. I image that I will have the deck completely ready for a christening with wine by Wednesday. Of course, with social distancing, it will be a party of two, my wife and myself.

Like everyone else, I am getting tired of Covid19. There is nothing I would love more than being able to travel to see my grandchildren and their parents. Even though they have lifted travel restrictions with our neighbouring province where my son lives with his family, we are delaying a visit until both parties feel that no one will be compromised. My son doesn’t want to put us at risk since we are in that demographic that is most at risk – over sixty years of age. We don’t want to put our little grandchildren at risk. It would devastate us if somehow we carried the virus to inadvertently contaminate them. Our daughter and her family in the USA is not even a possibility for at least another month. Should the gate to cross the border open, I doubt that we would rush through it, at least not until, like with our son, both sides are confident in keeping each other safe and Covid-free.

So, what do I do in the meantime? Well, obviously I will continue to do projects at home – next project to make the fence more like a privacy fence. Also, equally obvious, is that I will continue to invest my time in writing and editing. Somewhere along the way, more later than sooner, there is also the project of making audio book versions of my novels. And as usual, almost everything is done without clothing, if at all possible.

How are you navigating through these pandemic times? What is your new normal?